Howler's Night
by Ahha 'Vahatee
Summary: *WARNING! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!* Judy and Nick discovered the secret of what caused the predators to go 'savage', and all is well in Zootopia once again. But what if there's a secret to the Night Howlers? What if history is not so accurate in stating that animals are the only creatures to inhabit Earth? Rated M for a reason. No like Smut, u no read.
1. Chapter 1

_Just recently saw Zootopia... There are no words to describe my feelings for said movie. I know that my writings could never do the greatness of such beauty justice, but I shall try._

Chapter 1:

Time: 00:38

Date: 5/7/2114

Location: Southern Brazilian Rainforest.

* * *

Fear, and death... The stench of both overwhelmed the beast's senses. Diamond-hard ceramic plates of a battered vest silently clicked and clacked, like the dry bones of one long-since deceased, their cold protests falling upon deaf ears. Lo, while it could not hear them as mere men would, it could feel their sound, vibrations like mini earthquakes shaking the air around him. Their sound was joyfully ignored however, as the vibrations which held his only interest radiated from what happened to be the only source of heat within miles of the creature's location.

Flesh. Warm flesh, the only living meat around. The beast had seen to that. The other prey was already long-cold by now. This Prey would soon meet its kin.

Leaping through the expansive trees, the predator soon caught up with his quarry: A lone female. Clad in black, wearing boots, a gas mask, and a protective vest, and carrying a rifle. The beast's instincts immediately kicked in, searching out his prey's weaknesses; She was human, so naturally weaker. And female, so smaller as well. Middle of her monthly cycle, so physically unstable, as well as a light gimp in her right leg.

The simplicity of this kill was almost insulting.

The predator leapt down on his prey, flawless aim bringing him straight down upon her head. He was but a foot from her skull before a searing pain in his side threw him off course, and into the trunk of a redwood. Struggling to pull himself up, the creature looked to his ribs to see just what had ruined his kill. What met his gaze was a razor-sharp brown metal ring, a curved grip running through the center, half hurried in his side. The ring was easily a full foot in diameter, and with six full inches between his ribs, the beast realized that it was increasingly difficult to breathe. Lifting his gaze, the female shimmered, before disappearing entirely.

Stalking out of the brush was a different figure, taller and stronger than a human, wearing only dark camouflage pants caked with mud and leaves, and a leather harness across his back. Almost immediately the beast could sense strong pheromones emenating from the new creature, giving the illusion of a female. He could sense this newcomer was his own kind, but his appearance was human.

Ripping the ring-blade from his ribs, the beast screamed in rage before charging the attacker, ignoring the torrent of blood that soaked his side.

He did not progress a yard before a second ring was heaved, cleaving his head from his shoulders.

* * *

 **? POV:**

I looked down on the headless corpse of my test-brother, before walking past and retrieving my chakrams. Slipping them into my harness, I raised a finger to my ear and pressed the intercom on my earpiece.

"Den 1, this is NH-X23 checking in." I waited for a moment before a crackled reply came.

"NH-X3, this is Den 1, go ahead." The voice was firm and authoritative, my commanding officer.

I glanced back at the body before reaching over and removing the bloody and banged dogtags from the oozing stump of a neck. "Test subject 'NH-Z5' is deceased, sir."

A grunt was my response, until a few moments of silence later. "Good work X23, clean up and report back to Den 1 for debriefing."

I responded the affirmative before pocketing the tags and removing a phosphorus grenade from my belt and tossing it toward the corpse. I didn't wait to see it detonate, I knew it would do its job. Breaking into a solid run, I began my ten mile trek back to base, it lasted a grand total of one hundred-and-twenty five minutes. But no sooner did I reach the checkpoint, than did the emergency siren sound. Without hesitation I broke into a sprint for the rapidly closing iron doors, easily outrunning the other personnel.

Slipping through at the last moment, I listened as dozens of fists beat against the metal, begging for entrance. I frowned slightly, only a little saddened by the wasting of so many useful lives, but wiped it away quickly as I continued down the corridors before entering an already crammed lift. We descended several stories beneath the surface, thick iron doors closing above us every so often, until finally we reached the safe-zone. Stepping out, I made a bee-line toward the control room, and in the center of said room, my CO.

I stopped behind the middle-aged man and saluted. "NH-X23 reporting, sir."

The man jumped a little before spinning to face me. He was a worn man, dark skinned with short, neat hair. The sides of his trimmed hair grey and already progressing to white. But it was something in his eyes which caught my attention, something that I was more than sure had no place in those hard eyes.

Panic, and fear.

Confused, I pushed for an explanation. "Sir, is there a problem? Why is the siren sounding?" Normally the siren was used for drills, but this struck me as nothing akin to a drill.

"NH-X23, you will report to the storage chamber immediately and await further orders." With nothing more he began to turn away, but not before my temperament got the better of me and I grabbed his shoulder, turning him back to face me.

"Sir, what is happening? Why did you issue the Code Red?" His fear multiplied with a speed that would make rabbits jealous.

"Nuclear strike. In four minutes."

I could only stand in shock. Only a handful of people had nukes nowadays. Most just relyed on bio or chem bombs. My blood chilled in my veins.

Someone must want us gone, permanently.

As I snapped a salute, I knew what he wanted.

"Honor serving with you sir."

The salute was returned with a sad smile. "At ease, X23. Now please, report to the storage chamber."

With one more salute, I turned on my heel and marched out the door. Making my way through the corridors gave me precious time to think. They wanted me to stay in the storage chamber, a thickly insulated, super-cooled container. Lined with ten feet of lead and another ten of a specially made composite insulation, anything inside would be protected and preserved from the blast.

Clattering from ahead drew my attention. A large vault door was rolled aside as dozens of men and women formed a conveyer line, loading hundreds of cases into the room, light fog rolling into the hall out of the opening. Every now and again a clear green-house container would pass hands to end up in the chamber, each holding a dozen blue flowers. As I approached the line, the last of the containers were loaded. One of the chief scientists approached me, the same type of blue flower decorating his lapel.

"Chase," I frowned at the name. "How're you feeling?"

I glanced around for a minute before shrugging.

"Heh, I understand. Listen, you keep an eye on these, alright?" He rested his hand on my shoulder, looking solemnly into my eyes. "You know what can happen when Night Howlers get into the wrong hands."

With a nod I brushed past him and into the vault, turning to look back out the doorway. Scientists and soldiers alike turned and saluted as the door shut and sealed.

Releasing a breath, I crossed my legs and sat, leaning against a wall of containers. Already I could see the heavy fog float from my mouth. It was not unexpected really, as the temperature steadily dropped. Within an hour, the room would be a couple hundred negative degrees Celsius. Any normal human wouldn't even dream of surviving it, but thankfully, the NH series super soldier serum had some peculiar effects. Along with speed, strength, heightened and added senses, there was also the regeneration factor.

As I lost feeling in my limbs, I couldn't help but smirk. Who'da thought that if a plant that causes psycosis and homicidal tendencies, was mixed with certain animal DNA, it could produce something as efficient as the Night Howler Super Soldier.

As my vision dimmed, and my thoughts slowed, I let out a struggled chuckle.

Who'da thunk it?

* * *

Time: 6:30 am

Date: 2016

Location: Zootopia

 **Judy POV:**

 _bzz-bzz-bzz-!_

My paw slammed down on the alarm clock, silencing the annoying buzz, as I hopped out of bed and donned my uniform. Grabbing a carrot from the fridge I was almost out the door before stopping mid-stride, turning on my heel and returning to the bedroom. Standing next to the bed, I gazed down at the still lump under the comforter, smiling as I stroked it lightly.

Nick.

A content sigh escaped my lips as I slipped a paw under the fabric, and tucked my ears back as I pressed the button on top of the Fox Repellent can.

Faster than any rabbit, an orange blur shot out of the bed and stuck to the ceiling as the horn blared. Taking a moment to gaze at the nude fox shaking on the ceiling, I felt my cheeks warm with my smile.

"Morning Nick." I greeted with a chipper tone.

A single green eye turned to glare at me over his shoulder. "Carrots..."

Slowly, he retracted his claws from the drywall and dropped legs-first onto the bed. The fire in his eyes was enough to make me attempt to hide the can behind my back. Even as he climbed off the bed I couldn't help but take a step back, and another as he stepped toward me.

The look in his eyes was hungry, predatory, and it was a look I had seen before. "N-Nick.. P-please, no!" I stuttered as he stalked toward me before lunging, paws outstretched. Dropping the can, I dove to the side and rolled, sprinting as quickly as I could.

He chased me throughout the room, slowly gaining on me, forcing me to turn whenever I tried to aim toward the door. In a last attempt, I ran directly toward the bed hoping to jump over it and make a dash for the window, but unfortunately I had failed to notice the can.

Even as I stepped on the metal cylinder I still attempted to jump, but rather than soar over the bed, I only managed to flop directly into the center of it. Nick was on me in under a second, mouth and claws finding their marks immediately.

His teeth on my throat could not stop the air rushing from my lungs, only to erupt from my lips in a loud moan.

Even as he stroked my ears with one paw, slipped the other down my pants, and suckled my neck, I still managed to have the presence of mind to mumble.

"N-Nick. We're gon- ah- gonna be late f- ooh!- for work!"

A mumble into my neck was my only responce as he started to work my shirt off. Something along the lines of: "Nice uniform. Like it."


	2. Chapter 2

Time: 11:16

Date: 4/30/2016

Location: Zootopia Police department.

 **Nick POV:**

Never, in my existence, would I have believed that it was mammally possible to turn fifteen different shades of red in under five minutes, especially if one's original color happens to be bluish-grey. Chief Bogo's face, however, was proving me wrong. I couldn't tell you just what exactly he was screaming, as I had stopped listening a while ago, but I caught the gist of it: Being nearly four hours late is unacceptable in any job, but even more so when it comes to the police force.

Bogo was currently pacing behind his desk while subconsciously throttling a blue stress ball, a gift from Clawhauser, much beloved by every member of the force. I couldn't help but imagine that it somehow resembled one or both of our necks. Only a glance at Judy proved that she was thinking similar thoughts, given away by the visible cringe and oh-so-cute nose wriggle of hers. Though I would never say such a thing out loud, since the "C-word" seemed to be an almost unforgivable insult among bunnies.

My attention was drawn back to the Chief as he flopped down into his seat, his normal color returning.

"But as irresponsible as it is, I don't believe that I could justly fire you, seeing as how both of you are my best detectives."

I smirked slightly.

"But," And hope gone. "That doesn't mean that your leaving here unpunished." An evil smile that would give a snake the chills crept onto his face.

"Since you solved the Night Howler case with such ease, one of our branches in the south is having a... curious, problem." The smile grew. "Should be right up your alley."

0.o.00.o.0

"Brazil!? How can he do this!" I rubbed my temples deeply as Judy continued her heated rant. "Since when does the _Zootopia Police Department_ even have a Brazilian branch!?"

I couldn't hold in my sigh. "Well, they do, and apparently they have for a while now. And he's the Chief, he does what he wants."

I straightened my tie as we finished packing our bags, a suitcase for me and a basic pack for Judy. I threw a smirk in her direction. "I thought girls are always supposed to pack heavy."

Judy's deadpan, slightly annoyed expression, was all I received.

"Ah, come on, it's not that bad. You're not gonna, like, hold this against me, are ya?" I gave my best pouty-eyes, but to no avail. "Hey, just think of it like a vacation."

As she slung pack over her shoulder she shook her head slowly. "Nick, that's the kind of attitude that got us into this situation in the first place!" She pinched the bridge of her nose before sighing. "But fine. Fine! We'll treat it like a vacation."

Marching out the door, she called one last time over her shoulder. "But don't even think you're getting' any o' this anytime soon!" She added a flick of her tail and an exaggerated sway in her hips as she spoke, before walking out of sight.

I groaned inwardly as I followed. _This is gonna be a looong week._

* * *

 **NH-X23 POV:**

Darkness, it was the first thing to greet me as my eyes opened. An intense gagging was the second, forcing me to double over and retch, coating the wet floor with a translucent blue fluid.

 _Cryogenic build up._

Judging by the sheer amount, the cryo freeze had thawed slowly.

Shaking my head lightly, I slapped my cheek a bit to rouse myself, slowly getting to my feet. Another thing I noticed was an almost unbearable hunger chewing through my body. Turning slightly, I realized that there was a small bit of light, and a gentle pulse of air in the room, originating from a near half-inch crack in the ceiling with several green plants slipping through. Upon further inspection I discovered that the greenhouse containers had broken apart, and the Night Holwers had climbed the wall toward the crack.

Leaping onto the top of a stack of containers, I pressed my temple against the crack. While there was no auditory vibrations, there was certainly a current of warm air not four feet above my head.

 _Explains the thaw._

Something that I observed of the crack, was that it wasn't caused by a blast, but rather years of constant weathering. Which would also explain the lack of radiation smell. Shaking my head I stepped off from the containers onto the floor.

 _Mission, first priority_.

Stepping to the nearest sealed container, I disengaged the lock, popped the lid off and was imediately assaulted by the stench of putrefaction. Lifting one of the five vials from the bin, I studied the should-be cyan liquid, which was in reality a sickly greyish-brown. Grabbing the next bin and not bothering with unlocking it, rather slashing the steel padlock off with a chakram, I found the same result: Several years worth of rot.

I repeated this process with the other hundred and fifty-nine containers, noting that the closer I drew to the back corner of the room, the lower the temprature, and the less decayed the serums were. finally, when I came to the shadowed corner my hope began to spike, for on the last eight cases was a thin layer of frost.

To my dismay, the first two cases were also rotted, but to my silent joy, still considerably fresh. This only feuled my racing heart as I popped the last six open.

Inside each were five, perfectly preserved, icy blue vials.

* * *

 **Judy POV:**

Perfect. Simply wonderful! We endure an incredibly cramped flight to Rio De Janeiro, dissembark from the plane to be met by a somewhat strange capybara, who seems unable to speak a lick of English, and are taken to the local precinct. At least there the Chief, an otter, was rather fluent in English. Unfortunately, that meant he was able to tell us his situation.

Mammals were going savage, predators and prey alike, rapidly. What posed a problem was that ever since the whole Night Howler fiasco in Zootopia, word had been sent to all the police branches informing them of the dangerous flowers. As such, all Night Howlers had been gathered and burned, and whenever one of the blue flowers was found, it too was distroyed.

Thus leaving no known possible source of the outbreak.

On the bright side, he was able to tell us the locations of where each victim was found, and after some colaberating and studying multiple maps and charts, we discovered one thing that each location had in common. A stream, a big stream, but a stream nonetheless. Easily overlooked if you didn't know what you were looking for.

Nick and I were suplied with a jeep and a set of rifles and pointed in the right direction. While the idea of shooting something with a lethal weapon repulsed me, the Chief assured me that there were some things in the forest that a taser simply wouldn't stop. Our plan was simple, locate the stream and follow it to the source.

Our drive was silent in terms of conversation, Nick probably knew that I was still upset. Finding the stream was easy enough, following it on the other paw, not so much. The path was uneven and full of twists and turns. Eventually we reached the point where going on foot was our only option.

* * *

 **NH-X23 POV:**

I had a problem. Turns out countless years of cryo has a way of wearing down your system, and my serum was burning out. Even as I forced the vault door open, I could feel my movements becoming more sluggish. Before, that would have been no problem. I could simply report to the chem-bay and get another injection.

Now, however, I only had one case of X23 formula, just five vials. And to top it off, no syringes. The other five cases were experimental, Z6's. It was an unknown, untested compound, if simply injecting myself with it didn't kill me, or drive me insane, then the mixture with the compound in my blood certainly would. No, it had to be X23.

And the only way that was gonna work was if I could make my way to the chem-bay for a syringe.

After fashioning a pack from a larger container and some plant matter, I loaded up the compounds and exited the vault. The old hallways were mostly intact, thankfully, but the stench of radiation was almost nauseating, albiet harmless. I encountered a few what I assumed used to be corpses along with some crumbled wall debris, but no real obstruction to block my path. Finally I reached the chem-bay, but was mildly disturbed by what I found.

A large fissure in the ceiling above illuminated the room with sunlight, which I found to be quite pleasing. It was what was under the hole that concerned me. Skeletons. Animal skeletons, of multiple species. But what got me was the various stages of evolution that they displayed, older ones being more, well, animal, and progressing until they bore an almost human stature. I was examining an otter's spine when a clicking in the floor drew my attention to one of the far corners.

Out from the shadows sneaked a large cat creature, which I recognized to be a jaguar, standing on its hind legs and wearing a fur loincloth. Around its neck it wore a necklace decorated with beads and various animal ears. Overall it looked like something from a weird 'lost jungle tribe' movie.

Hissing, he raised a crude bone knife and started to circle me. Unslinging my makeshift pack I drew one of my chakrams while placing the containers on a nearby stainless steel table. Drawing my second weapon with my left hand, I started to circle my attacker as well.

Finally, after several moments, he lunged at me, knife aimed for my throat. But while my speed was decreased, it was still greater then my assailant. Stepping to my left I watched as he sailed past, before at the last moment curling my right arm around his bicep, and severing his spine with a left hook.

I let the body drop as stood back, genuinely surprised at the new development. Feeling the effects of the serums burn shook me from my stupor, and after searching for several minutes, I was able to find a sterile, undamaged syringe. Grabbing the correct container, I didn't pause a moment to inject the liquid into my veins. After a second I let out a comforted sigh, already feeling the effects.

Feeling much better than before I dropped to a knee next to the corpse, looking it over with interest. I was correct in my assumption that it was in fact male, and overall its proportions were identical to any other normal jaguar. The only visible differences were a slight straightness to the legs and spine, as well as opposable thumbs.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to satisfy my curiousity, so picking up the bone knife and testing its sharpness, I made the first incision on the lower abdomen.


	3. Chapter 3

Time: 6:30pm

Date: 5/1/2016

Location: Near the Southern border of the Brazilian Rainforest.

 **Nick POV:**

Harsh roaring of water filled my ears as we looked upon a massive waterfall, easily sixty or seventy feet high. Our source was most likely at the top. Grunting slightly, I turned toward Judy.

"Got a plan, Whiskers?"

She looked up the steep, surprisingly smooth, rust-colored wall of rock.

"Well, I say we split up and look around for a possible pathway. If we find one, we'll call on the radios."

I nodded uneasily as she turned away and started toward the falls before a thought struck me.

"Hey, Juds," She stopped and looked over her shoulder toward me.

Unslinging my rifle, I racked a cartridge into the chamber. "Be careful."

Doing the same, albeit reluctantly, she nodded. "You too."

* * *

 **NH-X23 POV:**

Impossible... Simply, undeniably impossible. And yet, here was the evidence, lying bloody and in pieces at my feet. Looking at the blood soaking my hands, I risked a glance at the dissected jaguar strewn across the floor.

Impossible...

The thing was completely animal, yet completely human. While the posture was indeed more upright, the proportions and flexibility necessary for quadruped locomotion still remained. What really worried me was the brain. It was as developed as an ordinary full-grown human, possibly even more so.

I had a feeling that if I had been a normal soldier, the outcome of our skirmish would have been fatally different.

"Fuck..." If this was normal now, if all animals were this evolved, then I would need to watch myself. Obviously I could hold my own against one, but ten? Twenty? I was highly doubtful of the odds.

A faint aroma grabbed my attention, making me look toward the hole in the ceiling. Focusing my senses, I could detect vibrations emanating from two sources. Small, one female scent, one male, and voices. They were garbled due to distance, but present nonetheless.

Slinging my makeshift pack over my shoulder, I began rooting through the debris for anything loot-able. My plan was to be long-gone by the time the two showed up, but I still wanted to leave well equipped.

After several minutes of searching the med-bay and surrounding offices, I was able to scrounge up some binding, piping, metal dowels, a block of wood, a spring, and surprisingly a sealed case of 12ga shotshells.

Setting to work, I was able to craft a makeshift single-shot short-barrel shotgun. Piping made up the barrel and chamber, while the wooden block (after a fair bit of knife-work) made a decent handle. Bending a dowel formed a trigger, while another and the spring made a firing pin.

Just the thought of firing the scrap-metal weapon made me concerned for my unfortunate hand, and the undoubtedly ancient ammunition did not help.

'Borrowing' some leather from the deceased jaguar, I shaped a holster and strapped it to my leg.

Searching for a few more minutes, but failing to find anything, I walked to the opening and leapt out.

* * *

 **Judy** **POV:**

We searched for several minutes, nearly an hour, for a path to the top of the falls but to no avail. Needless to say, I was rather irate when Nick called on the radio.

"Hey Jud, get back to the falls. You should see this."

I groaned in annoyance at his vagueness. "What is it, Nick?"

"No, you need to see it. Come here."

"Nick!"

"Judy! I'm not joking! You **need** to see this."

Resigning quietly, I started back toward the crashing water, but was irked when I didn't see Nick.

"What am I looking for, Nick?"

"Come behind the falls."

Raising a brow at the command, I wondered just how I was to accomplish this without drowning beneath hundreds of pounds of crushing water. It wasn't until I was at the waters edge that I noticed a small, barely noticeable ledge creeping behind the falls from the shore.

It was a small jump, but no big deal for a bunny.

Soon I was met with the sight of Nick, somewhat wet, and standing in front of a large door. An elephant could easily pass through without having to stoop. Stepping up next to my partner, I stared at the large metal slab, which showed no signs of corrosion. I'd say that it was new, due to said lack of rust, if it wasn't for the copious amounts of moss and vines growing around it.

Trying the handle, I was hit with the obvious realization that it was locked.

"Tried that already."

Looking at Nick, I noticed his gaze was drawn toward a lump on the door, just below the handle and covered with moss. Pulling out my pen knife I cut away several inches of the plant-life and was met with a padlock, also devoid of rust. My only guess was that it and the door were both made of an alloy. But if the plant growth was any indicator, this door had been here for a long, long time. Too long for the alloy theory to work.

"Here, stand back." Nick said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. Aiming his rifle, he fired two rounds into the lock, the boom echoing in the small cove forcing me to clamp my ears shut. After two more shots the lock fell to the ground.

Glaring at Nick for a moment, I tried the door again, which was surprisingly heavy, and was satisfied when it swung open, with some protest from the hinges. I couldn't help but have my gaze drawn into the inky blackness of the internal structure.

I metallic sliding followed by click made me turn toward Nick, just in time to see him slip an old magazine into his pocket, already replaced with a fresh one. "You think that's really necessary?"

He frowned slightly and gave me an uneasy look. "Judy," He looked around for a moment before facing me again. "Honestly, this entire place gives me the creeps. Example, why is that door in absolutely pristine condition when the walls," He pointed at a orange patch of stone showing threw the moss, just behind me slightly. "Are covered in rust?" He grabbed the massive lock off the ground and waved it slightly. "Why lock this place up so heavily?"

I blink at first. Never did it occur to me that the hill itself might be rusted metal, so I shrug and try to keep my voice an even monotone. "Maybe they don't want anyone getting in."

"So lock it from the outside?" Nick shook his head slightly while dropping the lock. "Sound more like trying to keep something getting _out_."

Suddenly, my desire to charge down the ominous dark halls had drastically dwindled.

Shaking the thoughts away quickly I respond. "Nick, this is probably the exact place were the Night Howlers are contaminating the river, this is the spring after all." I breath deep and pull up my rifle, turning toward the door and throwing a smirk over my shoulder. "Besides, I trust you have my back."

Stepping over the threshold, I could faintly discern a mumbled ' _It's the front I'm worried about._ ' Smirking it off, but still made to think, I hefted my rifle a little more. Pulling a headlamp from my side-bag, I switched it on and placed it square on my forehead.

"Where do you get all this stuff?"

I smirk again at the question. "Well, some of us like to be prepared."

"That why you still carry fox repellent?"

My ears began to droop slightly, until I recognized the evil grin in his voice.

Smiling myself, I didn't even slow down and I mumbled. "You bet."


End file.
